Over the weeks of Lent, we will introduce you to a number of of the refugees JRS accompanies. We invite you to walk with them and stand in solidarity with them. Can you sense the Lord’s presence in their story?

Qusai’s Story

In the first week of Lent, we introduce you to Qusai, who was accompanied by staff and volunteers from JRS Europe as he journeyed across land and sea in search of safety.

Wheelchair bound Qusai is originally from Damascus and struggled to live life to the full even before the war. “My life in Syria was difficult before the war and, after the war, it was worse.” Qusai was outspoken about both the Syrian regime and Islamic extremists online and as a result he started to receive threatening messages so started to lay low. “I tried to hide myself.”

When he decided to leave Syria, Qusai first went to Lebanon with two relatives before moving onto Turkey to live with his sister. But his frustrations continued: “No study, no healthcare, no possibility to go out – I faced the same problems like in Syria.”

“There is no hope for me anymore. And I started to think about travelling by sea to Greece.”

#Do1Thing

Each day throughout Lent we will invite you to draw closer to our work and join us as we accompany our refugee friends through their journeys, accompanied with prayer and practical actions about how you can help support refugees and the work of JRS.